Tape guide for sewing machines



J. G. GERBER TAPE GUIDE FOR SEWING MACHINES Sept. 4,1923. 1,466,937

Filed Aug. 22. 1919' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 4, 1923.

EJNETE JOHN G. GERBER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK. ASSIGNOR TO' UNIONSPECIAII MACHINE FFHCE.

COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. A CORPORATIONOF ILLINOIS.

T APE GUIDE FOR SEWING MACHINES.

Application filed August 22, 1919. Serial No. 319,259.

T 0 all whom it m (17 con (re 1'11 Be it known that I. Join! G. Gnunnn, a citizen of the United States. residing at Rochester. in the county of Monroe, State. of New York. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tape Guides for Sewing Machines, of which t hefollow ing is a description. reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in tape guides for sewing machines, and more particularly to a tape guide for directing a tape beneath the fabric being stitched.

An object of the invention is to provide a tape guide located in advance of the needle for directing the tape underneath the fabric'being stitched, which tape guide is so constructed as to insure that the edge of the tape will be guided flush or even with the edge of the fabric being stitched.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tape guide of the above character which may be used in connection with a feed dog having a faluic-..engaging sec-- tion extending in advance of the needle and along side of the tape guide, which tape guide is so constructed as to prevent.

any interference with the free guiding of the tape to the needle.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a tape guide of the above char acter which'includes a slot formed in the throat plate through which the tape is led, which slot. is angular in character so as to bend the tape and thus provide a means for preventing the tape from sliding sidewise in the tape guiding slot, particularly when the article being stitched is shifted for the purpose of stitching along curved sections.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings, which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention:-

Figure 1 is a plan view. ofa portion of the Work support of a sewing machine having a throat plate applied thereto with my improved tape guiding means embodied therein;

Fig. 2 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, showing a. portion of the work support, the feed dog, and the' Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the" guide on the presserfoot, on the line 5-5 of Fig. at;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan viewof the throat plate;

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the same;

Fig. 8 is a. view. showing more or less diagrammatically, a body-fabric havinga tape and a binding attachedthereto on my improved machine;

Fig. 9 is a view showing the binding as folded about the edge of'the fabric'and the tape secured to a lining and the body fabric;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the throat plate with a tape inserted; and

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the block insert for the throat plate.

The invention is directed broadly to a tape guiding means for guiding a tape beneath the body fabric, andsaid tape guiding means'consists of a-slot formed in the throat plate in advance of the needle, which slot is angular in shape so as to bend the tape longitudinally as it passes through the slot. The slot is preferably L-shaped. As the tape leads through this slot, it will be bent, as above noted, and this bending of the tape accomplishes several objects. In the first place, it insures the straight running of the tape and prevents the same from moving laterally even though the fabric section to which it. is being stitched is shifted for the purpose of stitching along curved sections. In the sccondplace, it enables a feed dog to be used having a fabric engaging section extending along side of the needle to a point in advance of the tape guiding slot without any possible interference with the free running of the tape to the needle. It also enables the feed dog sections to be placed close'to the needle and a tape .to be guided which, when flattened out, would overlap the fabric engaging section of the feed dog.

The invention is particularlyadapted for the applying of a French binding to the top edge of a shoe upper and the inserting of a reinforcing tape to prevent the stretching.

of the leather. This French binding is made in two operations. Referring to Fig. 8 of the drawings, the shoe upper is indicated at 1, the tape for preventing the stretching of the edge of the leather at 2, and the binding at 3. These parts are stitched together by a line of stitching indicated at 4. This is the first operation and is accomplished on my improved machine, as will be hereinafter more fully described. The binding is then folded about, as indicated in Fig. 9, so as to cover the tape. A lining, indicated at 5, is placed against the binding, and the lining, the leather body fabric and the binding are secured by another line of stitching, indicated at 6. This binding may be ccmented about the edge of the leather if desired. The tape 2, in order to accomplish its purpose, should be placed underneath the leather, which is referred to hereinafter as the body fabric, with the right hand edge thereof, as viewed in Fig. 8, flush or even with the edge of the body fabric. The edge of the body fabric when making shoe uppers is more or less curved, and one purpose of my improved tape guiding slot is to guide this tape so as to always maintain the edge thereof flush with the edge of the body-fabric even thou h said body fabric isshifted back and forth for causing the line of stitching to follow the curved edge of the body fabric.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, I have shown in Fig. 1 a ortion of the work support of a sewing mac ine, indicated at 7. Mounted on said work support is a throatplate 8. Said throat plate is provided with a feed dog slot'9 in which is a feed dog 10. Said throat plate is also provided with a needle hole 11 in which the needle recipro-' cates in the stitch forming operation of the machine. The feed dog slot 9 extends alon side of the needle hole to a point well in a vance thereof. The feed dog 10 has a fabric engaging section 10 located in this forward" extension of the feed dog slot, and said fabric engaging section, therefore, lies along side of the needle hole and extends to a point well in advance thereof. It is to be noted that this fabric engaging section 10 is close to the needle hole 11.

I have also shown in this figure an edge guide 12which is secured to a slide plate 7 carried by the work support 7 by means 'of a tway section 1 screw 13. A body fabric is held on the work support by a presser foot 14 and the needle of the stitching mechanism is indicated at 15. The throat plate '8 is provided with a tape guidng slot v16. Said slot, as shown in the presentembodiment of the invention, is L-shaped and has a section 16 which is at right angles to the line of feed, and a section 16 -which is parallel with the line of feed. The throat late is formed with a 7 in which is placed a dle hole.

filler plate 18. Said filler plate is secured to v direction at right angles to the line of feed.'

The plate is cut-away so as to form the slot 16 and is spaced from the throat plate sec-' tion 21 so as to form the slot 16". By shifting this plate, the inner end 16 of the section 16 may be adjustedtoward'and from a line parallel to the line of feed and passing I through the needle hole. The ta e 2 is led to the tape guiding slot 16 in a irection at an acute angle to the line of feed, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The throat plate is provided with a guiding wire 22 for assisting in guiding the tape. Asthe tape passes through the guiding slot, it is then carried flat on the work support and across the nee- The inner edge 16 of the ta 0 guiding slot is in line with the end of the edge guide 12 so that the body fabric 1 may be guided by the edge guide 12 and the tape guided by the tape'guiding slot 16 so that the edge of the tape will be flush or even with the edge of thebody fabric. When it is desired to stitch farther back from the edge of the body fabric, the edge guide 12 is shifted and likewisethe plate 18 is shifted so as to maintain the end 16 of the tape guiding slot in linewith the end of the edge guide.

The tape guiding 16 is made angular so as to bend the tape. A portion of the tape passes throughthe section 16* and another portion through the section 16", and

this results in thebending of the tape in substantially a right angle as it passes through the tape guiding slot. This bending of the tape insures the straight running of the tape regardless of the shifting of the body fabric for causing the needle to follow around curved sections. It also holds the left hand edge of the tape away from the fabric engaging section 10 of the feed dog and enables said" fabric engaging section to be placed-close to the needle and, at the same time," a comparatively wide tape may be used Without having the right hand edge of the tape extend beyond the edge of the body fabric; In other words, it is desirable to stitch" close to the edge. of the body fabric. It,--i's also desirable'to have the fabric engaging section 1.0 close to the needle, and again, it is desirable to use a relatively wide tape. These all may be accomplished by my improved tape guiding slot through the bending of the tape and the shifting of the left hand edge thereof out of the way of the fabric engagin section of the feed dog.

This tape stitched to the upper of a shoe or a body fabric reinforces the edge and pre vents the same from stretching. 'At the same time, it does not interfere with the applying of a binding and the folding of the binding about the edge of the body fabric for the reason that the edge of the tape is flush with the edge of the body fabric. \Vhile l have shown the tape guiding slot L-shaped. it will be understood. of course. that this shapingof the slot may be greatly varied. the essential feature consisting in the longitudinal bending of the tape as it passes through the tape guiding slot.

A looper, indicated at 24 in the drawings, cooperates with the needle 15. The tape on its way to the slot 16 passes over a guide wire 22 which not only leads the tape in the proper direction to pass into the slot but also keeps the tape away from the feed dog and the looper.

Mounted on the presser foot is a binding guide, indicated at 23. Said binding guide has a substantially straight guiding slot 24 for the binding. and said binding guide is set at an angle to the vertical and disposed so as to direct the binding strip 3 underneath the presser foot with the right band edge of the binding substantially flush with the edge of the body fabric. By means of this binding guide the binding is applied to the body fabric as the tape is stitched thereto, all of which is shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings.

It is obvious that various changes in the details of construction and the arrangementof parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention. what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A sewing machine including in combination. a. needle, a feed dog, a tape guiding member having a guiding slot located in advance of the needle, said slot being L-shaped and so disposed that one portion of the slot is parallel to the line of feed.

2. A sewing machine including in combination, a needle, a feed dog having a fabric engaging section extending along side of the needle and to a point in advance of the needle. a tape guiding member having a guiding slot located in front of the needle and along side of the fabric engaging section of the feed dog. said slot being shaped so as to bend one edge portion of the tape away from the fabric engaging section of the feed dog.

3. A sewing machine including in combination, a needle, a feed dog, a tape guiding member having a guiding slot located in advance of the needle. said slot being L-sliaped and so disposed that one portion of the slot is parallel to the line of feed. and a tape guiding wire disposed on that side of the slot opposite the portion thereon which is parallel with the line of feed.

4. A sewing machine throat plate having a needle hole and a feed dog slot a portion of which extends along side of the needle hole. said throat plate. having a tape guiding slot located along side of the feed dog slot and in front of the needle hole, said tape guiding slot being shaped so as to bend the tape longitudinally as it passes therethrough.

5. A sewing machine throat plate having a needle hole and a feed dog slot a portion of which extends along side of the needle hole. said throat plate having a. tape guiding slotlocated along side of the feed (log slot and in front of the needle hole, said tape guiding slot having a portion thereof at right angles to the lineof feed and a portion thereof parallel to the line of feed whereby the tape is bent longitudinally as it passes through the slot.

6. sewing machine throat plate having a needle hole and a feed dog slot a portion of which extends along side of the needle hole. said throat plate having a tape guiding slot located along side of the feed dog slot and in front of the needle hole. said tape guiding slot being L-shaped for bending the tape longitudinally as it passes through the slot.

7. A sewing machine throat plate having a needle hole. a feed dog slot and a cutaway section, a plate adjustably mounted in said cut-away section. said plate being cut so as to form a tape guiding slot, the end of which may be adjusted by shifting said plate.

8. A sewing machine including in combination, a needle, a looper cooperating therewith, a feed dog. a tape guiding member having a guiding slot located in front of the needle, said slot being angular in shape so as to bend the tape longitudinally as it passes therethrongh for preventing the lateral shifting of the tape in the guiding slot, a tape guiding wire located beneath the tape guiding member and directing the tape to said guiding slot, said wire operating to hold the tape away from the looper and feed dog.

In testimony whereofil atfix my signature.

JOHN G. GERBER. 

